[Event Information] Lecture Series “Automation, Vulnerability, and Human Dignity: Rethinking the Social Contract in the Age of AI – A European Perspective”
We host a series of lectures featuring speakers from various fields who share their insights on the theme of dignity.
For the third lecture in the series, we are pleased to welcome Caroline Lequesne, Associate Professor of Université Côte d’Azur, France, an expert in “digital public law” and “law of algorithms.” She will discuss the impact of the automation of public service on the vulnerable and the normative role that “dignity” play in the digitalised society.
【About the speaker】
Caroline Lequesne
Associate Professor of Université Côte d’Azur
Guest Associate Professor (Global) of Keio University
Career:
Doctor in Law, Université Libre de Bruxelles and Université de Toulon (2015)
Habilitation to supervise research (HDR), Université Côte d’Azur (2021)
Guest Associate Professor (Global), Keio University (from 2025)
【Overview】
A single mother evicted after her universal credit is suddenly suspended; a man losing access to medical care following the automated assessment of social services; a survivor of domestic violence denied police protection for failing to meet a software’s requirements. These real cases, from Europe and the United States, exemplify what can now be called the first global human experience: the digital condition. They reflect, more specifically, the consequences of the digitisation of the social contract.
Governments, particularly in Europe, increasingly rely on digital systems to deliver public services: online-only procedures, automated fraud detection, and chatbot-based interactions with administrations. While these tools promise efficiency, they also create uncertainty, exclusion, and new forms of institutional violence.
This lecture explores how digitalisation – and artificial intelligence in particular – reshapes public service, with profound consequences for democracy and social solidarity. As a response, it considers the role of human dignity as a legal and ethical principle capable of reframing and safeguarding the social contract in the age of AI.
【Details】
Title: Automation, Vulnerability, and Human Dignity: Rethinking the Social Contract in the Age of AI – A European Perspective
Date and Time: Monday, December 8, 2025, 16:30–18:00
Venue: East Research Building Hall (8th floor), Keio University Mita Campus
Commentator: Tatsuhiko Yamamoto (Professor of Constitutional Law, Keio University Law School; Co-Director of X Dignity Center)
Moderator: Haruki Kadotani (Ph.D. Candidate, Keio University Graduate School of Law; Collaborative Researcher, Keio University Global Research Institute)
Language: English
Others: Registration is free, and no prior registration is required.
Host: X Dignity Center